art 12-14

Can we have assurance of faith? Pelagians say no.

Striving with a faith formed by love.

Too permanent. They want us to the ability to lose faith because God is love.

Rejection 7

The Pelagian condition of election is our perseverance in faith. The Bible says, “Make your calling and election sure.” Why is assurance so important?

Child of God (greatest blessing)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

Assurance is a heavenly blessing. It comforts and encourages us in this sad world.

Article 14 Teaching Election Properly

Election is a medicine for the soul. We have to apply it with discretion and in a godly manner.

hospital bed.

Election is a shield we must stand behind before the arrows fling. We need to know God’s everlasting love for us before we’ve been wounded in the fight.

Spit out: heals the pain of uncertainty and doubt.

Comfort: At the wrong time and this medicine will be spit out. It must also be taught in such a way as to bring comfort. It heals the pain of uncertainty and doubt.

Article 13 The Fruit of Assurance

“Am I elect?” is a legitimate question. Assurance is a fruit of salvation. The problem with the question, “Am I elect?” is not the question but how we answer it.

Article 12 The Assurance of Election

The Canons inform us that there is a wrong way to answer the question, “Am I elect?”

The wrong way: Your way

Unbelieving Friend (whose God?)

Believers want to experience God, to hear him, to feel him or else doubt.

Young struggles

We want our way and there are so many. Our way however leads to pride or depression given your personality.

Millennials indifference

The safest way to assurance is the ordinary way by which God leads His people. What way? Its the way of Isaiah who said to the people of Israel with reference to false prophets: “To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (). Its the Bible way. God’s Word alone shows God’s children who they are and why? We cannot forget that why. It’s why our young people have indifference.

Don’t drink…

Why Homosexuality?

Why Date? ‘

Why church?

We need the what we believe and why we believe it.

The Bible teaches the way to assurance: truth faith, filial fear, godly sorrow, and the hunger and thirst for righteousness. Four infallible fruits (evidence of election).

True faith in Christ (Biblical first)

Assurance is found by faith. Its not that our faith grounds… object… Christ is our assurance. In American religion we want experiences without Christ. So we turn faith in our leap in the dark.

Experience Leap

True faith doesn’t jump. It rests in God’s hands who will never let us go. True faith receives the righteousness and Christ and rests on it for our salvation. True faith puts Christ back into Christianity.

The Canons say true faith because there are different types of faith. Like the blind leap. There is also historical faith, that is knowledge of the truths of history but without the personal trust in those events. The devils have this kind of faith. They are the best theologians yet deny its power. There is also a temporal faith that is a knowledge and assent that does not last. These are those who are in the church for a time but the difficulties of the cross to bear drives them away. It drives away because they do not truly see the necessity and power of the gospel. They are not truly in love with Christ.

Filial Fear of God

The word “Filial” is important here. It is distinguished from slavish fear or fear of punishment of sin. Slavish fear or fear of punishment is selfishness. Its the desire to get out hell. Its the compulsion to earn heaven by our stripes. Yet we serve God because of Christ’s stripes born on the cross for us. True service to the Lord is love. Childlike fear is motivated by love. Those who have this love will serve the Lord for who what he has done for us rather than our trying to do for God.

Godly sorry for sin

The word Godly is important here. It is distinguished from worldly sorry for sin.

Hard to judge

They see the offense as dangerous.

They see the offense as painful.

They see the offense as damaging.

They however don’t see the offense as detestable to God. They don’t see their sin as a treading on the cross of Christ; adding to Christ’s suffering and death.

Hearts broken belong to God. This is called Godly sorry for sin. So weep after your sin but at the same time find here assurance. Broken hearts are both happy and sad. You’re are sad because of what a miserable wretch you are, but you are also happy because you know by this brokenness that you belong to God. Unbelievers are not broken over their sin, doubt, and misery. These are evidences of the electing work of the triune God.

Hunger and thirst for righteousness

Godly walk is fruit of election.

I stray on my walk. I cannot go all the way.

If you have these fears and doubts, then you are on the right path. The Canons say, that the elect, “chosen in due time, through by various stages and in differing measure” come to this assurance.

Sanctification Progressive

Months of reformation…

It means you will need Christ all your life long. So look to Christ for he is the finisher of our faith. He is our assurance. What is your only comfort in life and in death? That I am not my own belong body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ?